Criminologist: Panel Reviewing Suiter's Death Had Too Many Ties To BPD
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- A criminologist at a local university says he can see why the board reviewing the death of Baltimore PD Det. Sean Suiter came to the conclusion of suicide, but questions why members with ties to BPD were chosen to investigate.
University of Baltimore criminologist Jeffrey Ian Ross has read the report released this week by the independent review board looking into the death of Suiter.
He agrees the findings as laid out in the report lead to only one conclusion; suicide.
"From what I read, it was difficult to come to a conclusion other than he committed suicide," Ross said. "From reading the report."
However, Ross does not believe the board was made up of the correct people to investigate this case.
"The body that did the investigation should not have been the body that did it," he said.
Ross believes the panel has too many ties to BPD and "an external body, unbiased....with an arms-length relationship to the BPD" should have been chosen.
Ross says Maryland State Police or even the D.C. Police Dept. would have been better choices.
"It was a foregone conclusion that the results, wherever they would fall, would not be amenable for lots of parties," Ross added.
Ross worries about a community left with conspiracy theories or suspicions and criticisms, and says of this report: "It's not going to close the book on this case."
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